


Poetic Beauty

by Lunnashh



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-04 02:45:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12159948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunnashh/pseuds/Lunnashh
Summary: These snippets we have, these memories we make, these moments we cherish.





	Poetic Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> Ngl Jaeyong was my otp first...but somehow even before Limitless era I found myself fawning over Johnjae?? Like?? Look at how gorgeous Johnny is?? And how smol Jaehyunnie is next to him?? SKDJFGJS ok so I want to do a story about how their relationship develops since predebut days. I srsly need to take notes on the johnjae moments whether from Nct night night or any other moments too and there's just so many! *wipes sweat* 
> 
> This will be a series of drabbles/oneshots. I hope u guys enjoy it~ (especially my johnjae fam :3)

 

**Winter**

  
_How bizzare, to feel you fall upon me gently like snowflakes._

 

 

 

Johnny was there first, before the rest of the members. He was a young boy in a foreign land, out of the safety of his parents and home to pursue a seemingly promising career. Glitz and glam; it's what's in his mind when he first came to know about this one huge entertainment agency in his home country. Johnny had always loved music. He loved feeling his fingers roam the black and white keys of the piano, he loved strumming the guitar as he sang some tunes with his friends, he loved the echoing harmony of choir in the church he went to every weekend. Pretty much born and raised in Chicago up until middle school, Johnny had never considered Korea as 'home' before. Just a small part in eastern side of the map where his parents and grandparents came from. Just a country that seemed so orderly and proper--bordering on uptight--as compared to the American dream he had been living on.

The language barrier was still as real as when Johnny first arrived in Korea. He was still learning Korean, a language he'd only heard his parents speak sometimes. It was part of his heredity yet it sounded odd spoken with his own tongue. The food here was either too spicy or sweet and Johnny found himself craving fastfood more often than not, nothing could go wrong with cheeseburgers and fries. The people were constantly moving--to work, to school, to anywhere besides staying idle and it made Johnny wondered what hasten them so to the point that they wouldn't sit back and enjoy life. He'd always been a laidback person because he believed you could only appreciate life by enjoying the moments.

Not that he'd been doing that lately, though.

It had become such a dull routine; him going to practice and learning all those skills he'd need in the future as an entertainer. Singing and dancing and public speaking and attitude and don't forget the additional language and instrument classes. They seemed never ending. Just like his struggles to finally, finally be allowed to stand on stage and pour his heart out. Someday, hopefully.

This would be another winter he had to spend without his loved ones close by. Strolling through the streets made his heart ache a little bit, having all those sparkling Christmas lights and jolly atmosphere yet not really having anyone to enjoy it with. He blamed it on the seasonal depression because of the lack of sunlight, but nonetheless at times like these Johnny chose to spend his time in solitary over hanging out with the few friends he had. That was, if he didn't have practice, like right now.

The company building looked pretty much deserted when Johnny approached. Being the early morning of weekends probably had something to do with it, or the fact that it was freaking cold and most people would probably recoil at the thought of starting the day so early in this weather. Johnny had no choice, though, just like the staffs and teachers keeping the company running and many other trainees on the same boat as him. There was a boy walking into the front parking lot, probably another trainee too judging from his sports attire that screamed 'long-and-grueling dance practice ahead'.

Just as he rounded the building, the boy slipped on his feet and landed on his bum. With a squeak.

Johnny froze midstep, a surprised laughter bubbling in his throat that was quickly suppressed by his conscience, images of his mom wagging her finger and tutting 'I didn't teach you to be a rude boy, John!'

So he just did what any sane person would. Kinda.

He let himself trip and fell on his ass, too.

The boy, probably still reeling from the slight scare, was now staring dumbfoundedly at him, bangs tumbling over his eyes. "...Why did you fall?"

Now Johnny didn't quite have a rational answer to that. A few, painfully awkward moments pass before Johnny decided to just be honest. "Nah, I just figured it'll be less embarassing if someone else falls too."

The boy slightly pursed his lips, probably thinking if Johnny had hit his head hard even though _he_ was the one who fell. "Thanks..."

"You a trainee here, too?" Johnny could see dents of dimples on the boy's cheeks and it was one of the most adorable things Johnny had ever seen. "What's your name? I'm Youngho."

The boy hesitated a little bit, probably peeved by how Johnnys was being buddy-buddy. "I'm Jaehyun."

Johnny nodded, muttering a probably unnecessary 'cool' as a reply. "Well, off you go, kid."

The boy, Jaehyun, huffed at the nickname. Jaehyun turned with a mumbled 'whatever' and hurried inside the building, probably for warmth or respite from the embarrassment. Johnny didn't miss the English word the kid spewed. He might have found himself another friend from abroad. He figured that if fate allowed, he'd meet the kid again anyway. Hopefully.

 

 

 

It always worked on action movies and cartoons. There was merely a couple meters between him, perched on his bicycle at the top of concrete stairs, and the sidewalk below. He was too lazy to take the longer road ahead. He was feeling foolish enough nowadays, what else could go wrong?

Anything, apparently. It was smooth sailing for around three seconds before his bicycle got wonky on the impossible terrain. Johnny was lucky he didn't get a concussion from the way he was tumbling down the stairs and nearly having his bike falling on his own head. "Ow, goddamnit..."

"What are you doing?"

A bump on his head and a dent on his bicycle (and pride), Johnny managed to coolly compose himself before greeting a familiar face standing before him. "Hi there...Jaehyun, am I correct?"

"Yeah," the pale boy had a backpack slung on his shoulder and squeaky clean sneakers adorning his feet. "Youngho-ssi, right?"

"Uh-huh," at least no lasting damage was done, Johnny surmised from his brief check on his body and bike.

Jaehyun was watching him curiously, studying Johnny as if he was a 500-piece puzzles. "You still haven't answered my question..."

"Just wasn't thinking straight," Johnny waved his hand in a vague gesture, towards the harsh, evil concrete stairs behind them. He was willing his blushing to tone down as he redirected the topic, "You heading to practice?"

Jaehyun nodded silently.

"Well, hop on then!" Johnny tapped at the backseat of his ride, grinning at the way Jaehyun eyed him and the bicycle nervously. "It's okay, I won't pull any crazy stunts. The building's already pretty close anyway."

"...Okay, then," Jaehyun approached him with halted steps. His hands hovered in mid-air when he sat on the backseat, unsure of where or what to hold on so he wouldn't topple over as they go.

"It's okay, you can hold on to my waist, kid," Johnny laughed, nonchalantly pulling Jaehyun's arms and secure them around his waist.

"Why are you, like, so friendly?" Jaehyun looked flustered, though he kept his arms unmoving as Johnny began to pedal. "Is this how foreigners are like? You're from abroad, right?"

"Huh, how'd you know, kid?" on the back of his mind, Johnny half guessed that it was probably from his long 'history' with the agency. He wasn't exactly a new face around.

" _Not a kid_ ," Jaehyun protested, in a perfect English accompanied by a pinch to Johnny's tummy.

Johnny gave a slight yelp, but proceeded to focus on the road, empty as it might be. "But yeah, I lived in Chicago before. Name's Seo John. Are you from abroad too?"

Jaehyun have a soft hum, processing the words he just heard. "Not really. Lived in America for 4 years. Connecticut, that was it. We moved back here since."

"Ah, I see..."

They didn't talk again for the rest of the road. It wasn't as awkward as Johnny thought it would be, cycling to practice with a stranger on his back (and arms around his waist). Johnny caught Jaehyun humming an ice cream cart jingle under his breath when they passed one, and softly gasping a 'so cute' when they passed a woman walking her poodle. Johnny wished his bicycle had a rearview mirror so he could steal a glance behind.

Ten minutes later they arrived at the building. Johnny told Jaehyun to go on ahead because he needed to park his bicycle, so Jaehyun hopped down and gave a small bow of thank you.

"You know," for some reason, Johnny found himself blurting, "This is almost my third year here in Korea on my own."

"Ah...must've been tough," Jaehyun nodded absentmindedly. His fingers were twiddling with the hem of his jacket.

"Yeah," Johnny didn't know what he was expecting Jaehyun to say, to be honest. "So...see you around?"

Jaehyun tilted his head up, a smile slowly blooming on his face and Johnny see how a dimple showed on his right cheek.

"Sure, Youngho-hyung."

 

 

 

He began to see those dimples a lot more since then.

 

 

 

"It's snowing," Jaehyun says in awe, tongue sticking out as if the snowflakes are cotton candies magically falling from the sky.  
Johnny silently drapes him with a coat--the kid has forgotten it in his excitement of the first snow.

The snow reminds him of their first meeting, Jaehyun slipping down the ice just in front of their company building and the funny squeak he produced. It wasn't snowing back then but it had already piled up and made most of the streets slippery. "I remember when I first met you."

"Hmm?" Jaehyun's squatting beside a flowerbed, gathering snow with his palms and building a masterpiece of his own. He doesn't even notice when Johnny snaps a picture of him, all flushed cheeks and lips pursed in concentration. The epitome of youth, in his own bubble of fun.

"When you fell flat on your ass and I came to your rescue, remember?" Johnny rubs his hands together to try fighting the cold weather.

"But you didn't," Jaehyun laughs, pokes two holes in his snowman's face to make space for the eyes. He even picks up little shrubs to make its mouth and arms. "You fell too. Accompanying me in my embarrassment. That was so sweet actually."

Johnny ruffles Jaehyun's hair, "C'mon, we should get ready."

"Meet Jeff, our little snowman," Jaehyun gathers the little snowman in his palms and brandishes it to Johnny gleefully. It's more like a stack of two chunky blobs than rotund snowballs, the smile is wonky, and Johnny can see that one of its arms is pathetically hanging by a thread. But Jaehyun's smile more than makes up for it, wide and bright as his cheeks flush ever so slightly from the chill. "He's from Chicago."

"It's ours? He's cute," Johnny rights its arm by sticking the twig deeper. "And why is he from Chicago?"

"So you won't feel lonely here even though you can't come home for Christmas," Jaehyun grins.

A thin t-shirt under his worn jacket usually won't be enough to keep him from feeling cold, but looking at Jaehyun in front of him just _fills_ him with warmth. Just this boy and his silly little snowman.

"You know what, I don't think I'm that lonely anymore," Johnny nuzzles their noses together, and the giggles Jaehyun let out are even merrier than any Christmas bell Johnny has ever heard.

 

~*~

 

**Author's Note:**

> Started: 19 March 2017  
> Finished: 22 September 2017
> 
> Whew it's been a while since I posted any nct fic. Pls anticipate more johnjae for this series!^^
> 
> hit me up on twitter @ lunnashh ♡


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